Home & Decor Singapore pays tribute to three decades of design with a look back on its most interesting features over the years.
This week we look at the home of hobbyist decorator Dave, which features a spunky mod look with furniture the homeowner created himself.
Dave Goh has many interests. He plays tennis and squash, has won several trophies for sprinting and snooker and swims regularly. “I play all sports except hockey,” he laughs. Dave also numbers decorating as one of his hobbies.
With the help of friends, Dave and his wife ground down the living room walls of his 4-room flat in Hougang to get an even surface to apply an embossed off-white wallpaper.
His kitchen originally had white marble tiles halfway up the walls. Dave tiled the rest of the walls, using matching tiles. He then used red reflective tape (the kind that is used on car bumpers) to cover up the joint and “so the kitchen wouldn’t look like a coffee shop”. The touch of red against white really perks up the whole kitchen.
Dave can also be proud of his handiwork, like the black lattice partition that he and Lily “made together in one evening, just before the Chinese New Year.”
Designed by Dave and installed by a contractor, the bar counter in the living room features special built-in features like a detachable counter on castors, that can double as a side table and special cabinets for liquor. The bar stools, however, took several months to design, but they are Dave’s proudest achievement. He wanted a very high-tech look, so he designed spiralling metal stands topped by circular red cushions.
Dave painted the door frames in black and then glued red reflective tape over them, for better feng shui.
One of the bedrooms has been converted to study. Lily, who is a part-time accountant, does most of her work here.